US11923791B2

US11923791B2 - Harvesting energy for a smart ring via piezoelectric charging

Info

Publication number: US11923791B2
Application number: US18/187,745
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenneth Jason Sanchez
Original assignee: BlueOwl LLC
Current assignee: Quanata LLC
Priority date: 2019-07-23
Filing date: 2023-03-22
Publication date: 2024-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-10
Also published as: US11637511B2; US20230223872A1; US20240250622A1; US12413163B2; US20230072436A1

Abstract

A smart ring is configured harvest mechanical energy using piezoelectricity. The smart ring includes a ring-shaped housing, a power source disposed within the ring-shaped housing, and a charging circuit. The charging circuit includes a piezoelectric harvesting element, and is configured to charge the power source when user motion causes a mechanical deformation in the piezoelectric harvesting element. The smart ring further includes a component, disposed within the ring-shaped housing and configured to draw energy from the power source, and further configured to perform at least one of: i) sense a physical phenomenon external to the ring-shaped housing, ii) send communication signals to a communication device external to the ring-shaped housing, or iii) implement a user interface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/926,270, filed Jul. 10, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/877,391, filed Jul. 23, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/004,789, filed Apr. 3, 2020, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to implementations of smart ring wearable devices and, more specifically, to charging smart ring devices using energy harvested from motion.

BACKGROUND

To the extent that smart ring technology has been adopted, it has a number of challenges. For example, a number of problems exist with wearable devices generally, including: they often need to be removed for charging; they often have poor fit; they often provide relatively little user interactivity; and they often provide limited functionality.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A smart ring may be configured to harvest energy from user motion using a piezoelectric effect. To that end, the smart ring may include a piezoelectric harvesting element configured to generate a voltage in response to a deformation caused by motion.

In one aspect, a smart ring includes a ring-shaped housing, a power source disposed within the ring-shaped housing, and a charging circuit. The charging circuit includes a piezoelectric harvesting element, and is configured to charge the power source by way of electrical energy generated by mechanical deformation within the piezo-electric harvesting element. The smart ring further includes a component, disposed within the ring-shaped housing and configured to draw energy from the power source, and further configured to perform at least one of: i) sense a physical phenomenon external to the ring-shaped housing, ii) send communication signals to a communication device external to the ring-shaped housing, or iii) implement a user interface.

In another aspect, a method for operating a smart ring includes generating electrical energy at a charging circuit within the smart ring by way of a mechanical deformation in a piezoelectric harvesting element of the charging circuit. The method further includes charging a power source disposed within the ring-shaped housing of the smart ring by way of the charging circuit configured to deliver the generated electrical energy to the power source. Still further, the method includes operating a component, disposed within the ring-shaped housing of the smart ring and configured to draw energy from the power source, and further configured to perform at least one of: i) sense a physical phenomenon external to the ring-shaped housing, ii) send communication signals to a communication device external to the ring-shaped housing, or iii) implement a user interface.

Depending upon the embodiment, one or more benefits may be achieved. These benefits and various additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure can be fully appreciated with reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system comprising a smart ring and a block diagram of smart ring components, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a number of different form factor types of a smart ring, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates examples of different smart ring form factors.

FIG. 4 illustrates an environment within which a smart ring may operate, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a charging system for a smart ring, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6A illustrates an example charging system that includes one or more permanent magnets disposed near or attached to a keyboard.

FIG. 6B illustrates a configuration of an induction coil for a charging system illustrated in FIG. 6A, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7A illustrates an example charging system integrated into a smart ring that includes one or more permanent magnets disposed within a band of the smart ring.

FIG. 7B illustrates a section of the smart ring in FIG. 7A, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a smart ring configured to recharge by way of a piezoelectric harvesting element according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9A illustrates a smart ring configuration with two bands configured to move with respect to one another to generate mechanical energy for piezoelectric harvesting, according to some embodiments,

FIG. 9B illustrates a mechanism for causing deformation in a piezoelectric harvesting element when the bands in FIG. 9A move with respect to one another, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Smart ring wearable technology can enable a wide range of applications including security, safety, health and wellness, and convenient interfacing between a user and a variety of technologies based at least in part upon integrating a variety of sensor, input/output devices, and computing capabilities in a compact form factor. One of the challenges in increasing smart ring capabilities is reliably powering the needed components, particularly considering the limited space for a power source in the compact form factor. An ability to conveniently charge the power source of the smart ring without removing the smart ring from a finger would contribute to the adoption of smart ring technology.

One way to charge the smart ring without removing from the finger may include using a wearable charger, or a charger disposed in the environment of the smart ring. For the purposes of charging, the charger may be connected to the smart ring by a cable. Additionally or alternatively, the smart ring may include one or more circuits that enable the smart ring to harvest optical, thermal, mechanical and/or other sources of energy to charge and/or recharge the smart ring. Some techniques for harvesting mechanical energy may be based at least in part upon electromagnetic induction, or a piezoelectric effect, as described herein. Some techniques may rely on generated variable electromagnetic fields at a charging source that may couple a portion of the generated energy to a smart ring. Such configurations may be referred to as wireless charging, rather than harvesting configurations. A charging system may generate constant magnetic fields with constant current through a properly configured conductor. Such systems rely on availability of electrical energy to sustain a magnetic field. An electromagnetic induction charging system that uses permanent magnets has the advantage of obviating the need for using electrical energy to produce magnetic fields, on the other hand.

Various techniques, systems, and methods for charging a power source of a smart ring using electromagnetic induction are discussed below with reference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 , FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, FIG. 8 , FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9B. In section I, a smart ring and inductive charging system is described with reference to FIG. 1 . In section II, example smart ring form factor types and configurations to facilitate harvesting energy via induction are discussed with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . In section III, an example operating environment in which a smart ring may operate is described with reference to FIG. 4 . In section IV, an example schematic for an induction charging system is described with reference to FIG. 5 . In section V, example induction charging systems are described with reference to FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7B. In section VI, a smart ring configured for charging using a piezoelectric harvesting element is described with reference to FIG. 8 , FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9B. In section VII, other considerations are described.

I. Examples of Smart Ring and Smart Ring Components

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 comprising a smart ring 101 that may be charged via an induction charging system (e.g., by way of harvesting motion energy) according to one or more of the techniques described herein. FIG. 1 also shows one or more devices or systems that may be electrically, mechanically, or communicatively connected to the smart ring 101. As shown, the smart ring 101 may include a set of components 102, which may have various power needs and may impact the frequency with which the smart ring 101 needs recharging. To facilitate compatibility with the described energy harvesting techniques, the components 102 may be configured to be compatible with the magnetic fields and magnetic field variations to which the smart ring 101 and the components 102 may be exposed during induction charging. With respect to the described piezoelectric harvesting, the components 102 may be configured to be isolated from the potentially high voltages generated during piezoelectric harvesting.

The system 100 may comprise any one or more of: a charger 103 for the smart ring 101, a user device 104, a network 105, a mobile device 106, or a server 107. The charger 103 may provide energy to the smart ring 101 by way of a direct electrical, a wireless, or an optical connection. The smart ring 101 may be in a direct communicative connection with the user device 104, the mobile device 106, or the server 107 by way of the network 105. Interactions between the smart ring 101 and other components of the system 100 are discussed in more detail in the context of FIG. 4 .

The smart ring 101 may sense a variety of signals indicative of activities of a user wearing the ring 101, biometric signals, a physiological state of the user, or signals indicative of the user's environment. The smart ring 101 may analyze the sensed signals using built-in computing capabilities or in cooperation with other computing devices (e.g., user device 104, mobile device 106, server 107) and provide feedback to the user or about the user via the smart ring 101 or other devices (e.g., user device 104, mobile device 106, server 107). Additionally or alternatively, the smart ring 101 may provide the user with notifications sent by other devices, enable secure access to locations or information, or a variety of other applications pertaining to health, wellness, productivity, or entertainment.

The smart ring 101, which may be referred to herein as the ring 101, may comprise a variety of mechanical, electrical, optical, or any other suitable subsystems, devices, components, or parts disposed within, at, throughout, or in mechanical connection to a housing 110 (which may be ring shaped and generally configured to be worn on a finger). Additionally, a set of

interface components

112 a and 112 b may be disposed at the housing, and, in particular, through the surface of the housing. The

interface components

112 a and 112 b may provide a physical access (e.g., electrical, fluidic, mechanical, or optical) to the components disposed within the housing. The

interface components

112 a and 112 b may exemplify surface elements disposed at the housing. As discussed below, some of the surface elements of the housing may also be parts of the smart ring components.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the components 102 of the smart ring 101 may be distributed within, throughout, or on the housing 110. As discussed in the contexts of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 below, the housing 110 may be configured in a variety of ways and include multiple parts. The smart ring components 102 may, for example, be distributed among the different parts of the housing 110, as described below, and may include surface elements of the housing 110. The housing 110 may include mechanical, electrical, optical, or any other suitable subsystems, devices, components, or parts disposed within or in mechanical connection to the housing 110, including a battery 120, a charging unit 130, a controller 140, a sensor system 150 comprising one or more sensors, a communications unit 160, a one or more user input devices 170, or a one or more output devices 190. Each of the

components

120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 190 may include one or more associated circuits, as well as packaging elements. The

components

120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 190 may be electrically or communicatively connected with each other (e.g., via one or more busses or links, power lines, etc.), and may cooperate to enable “smart” functionality described within this disclosure.

The battery 120 may supply energy or power to the controller 140, the sensors 150, the communications unit 160, the user input devices 170, or the output devices 190. In some scenarios or implementations, the battery 120 may supply energy or power to the charging unit 130. The charging unit 130, may supply energy or power to the battery 120. In some implementations, the charging unit 130 may supply (e.g., from the charger 103, or harvested from other sources) energy or power to the controller 140, the sensors 150, the communications unit 160, the user input devices 170, or the output devices 190. In a charging mode of operation of the smart ring 101, the average power supplied by the charging unit 130 to the battery 120 may exceed the average power supplied by the battery 120 to the charging unit 130, resulting in a net transfer of energy from the charging unit 130 to the battery 120. In a non-charging mode of operation, the charging unit 130 may, on average, draw energy from the battery 120.

The battery 120 may include one or more cells that convert chemical, thermal, nuclear or another suitable form of energy into electrical energy to power other components or

subsystems

140, 150, 160, 170, 190 of the smart ring 101. The battery 120 may include one or more alkaline, lithium, lithium-ion and or other suitable cells. The battery 120 may include two terminals that, in operation, maintain a substantially fixed voltage of 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 9, 12 V or any other suitable terminal voltage between them. When fully charged, the battery 120 may be capable of delivering to power-sinking components an amount of charge, referred to herein as “full charge,” without recharging. The full charge of the battery may be 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 mAh or any other suitable charge that can be delivered to one or more power-consuming loads as electrical current.

The battery 120 may include a charge-storage device, such as, for example a capacitor or a super-capacitor. In some implementations discussed below, the battery 120 may be entirely composed of one or more capacitive or charge-storage elements. The charge storage device may be capable of delivering higher currents than the energy-conversion cells included in the battery 120. Furthermore, the charge storage device may maintain voltage available to the components or

subsystems

130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 190 when one or more cells of the battery 120 are removed to be subsequently replaced by other cells.

The charging unit 130 may be configured to replenish the charge supplied by the battery 120 to power-sinking components or subsystems (e.g., one or more of

subsystems

130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 190) or, more specifically, by their associated circuits. To replenish the battery charge, the charging unit 130 may convert one form of electrical energy into another form of electrical energy. More specifically, the charging unit 130 may convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), may perform frequency conversions of current or voltage waveforms, or may convert energy stored in static electric fields or static magnetic fields into direct current. Additionally or alternatively, the charging unit 130 may harvest energy from radiating or evanescent electromagnetic fields (including optical radiation) and convert it into the charge stored in the battery 120. Furthermore, the charging unit 130 may convert non-electrical energy into electrical energy. For example, the charging unit 130 may harvest energy from motion, or from thermal gradients.

The controller 140 may include a processor unit 142 and a memory unit 144. The processor unit 142 may include one or more processors, such as a microprocessor (μP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other suitable electronic processing components. Additionally or alternatively, the processor unit 142 may include photonic processing components.

The memory unit 144 may include one or more computer memory devices or components, such as one or more registers, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or on-board flash memory. The memory unit 144 may use magnetic, optical, electronic, spintronic, or any other suitable storage technology. In some implementations, at least some of the functionality the memory unit 144 may be integrated in an ASIC or and FPGA. Furthermore, the memory unit 144 may be integrated into the same chip as the processor unit 142 and the chip, in some implementations, may be an ASIC or an FPGA.

The memory unit 144 may store a smart ring (SR) routine 146 with a set of instructions, that, when executed by the processor 142 may enable the operation and the functionality described in more detail below. Furthermore, the memory unit 144 may store smart ring (SR) data 148, which may include (i) input data used by one or more of the components 102 (e.g., by the controller when implementing the SR routine 146) or (ii) output data generated by one or more of the components 102 (e.g., the controller 140, the sensor unit 150, the communication unit 160, or the user input unit 170). In some implementations, other units, components, or devices may generate data (e.g., diagnostic data) for storing in the memory unit 144.

The processing unit 142 may draw power from the battery 120 (or directly from the charging unit 130) to read from the memory unit 144 and to execute instructions contained in the smart ring routine 146. Likewise, the memory unit 144 may draw power from the battery 120 (or directly from the charging unit 130) to maintain the stored data or to enable reading or writing data into the memory unit 144. The processor unit 142, the memory unit 144, or the controller 140 as a whole may be capable of operating in one or more low-power mode. One such low power mode may maintain the machine state of the controller 140 when less than a threshold power is available from the battery 120 or during a charging operation in which one or more battery cells are exchanged.

The controller 140 may receive and process data from the sensors 150, the communications unit 160, or the user input devices 170. The controller 140 may perform computations to generate new data, signals, or information. The controller 140 may send data from the memory unit 144 or the generated data to the communication unit 160 or the output devices 190. The electrical signals or waveforms generated by the controller 140 may include digital or analog signals or waveforms. The controller 140 may include electrical or electronic circuits for detecting, transforming (e.g., linearly or non-linearly filtering, amplifying, attenuating), or converting (e.g., digital to analog, analog to digital, rectifying, changing frequency) of analog or digital electrical signals or waveforms.

The sensor unit 150 may include one or more sensors disposed within or throughout the housing 110 of the ring 101. Each of the one or more sensors may transduce one or more of: light, sound, acceleration, translational or rotational movement, strain, temperature, chemical composition, surface conductivity or other suitable signals into electrical or electronic sensors or signals. A sensor may be acoustic, photonic, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, chemical, micro-fluidic (e.g., flow sensor), or any other suitable type of sensor. The sensor unit 150 may include, for example, an inertial motion unit (IMU) for detecting orientation and movement of the ring 101.

The communication unit 160 may facilitate wired or wireless communication between the ring 101 and one or more other devices. The communication unit 160 may include, for example, a network adaptor to connect to a computer network, and, via the network, to network-connected devices. The computer network may be the Internet or another type of suitable network (e.g., a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a mobile, a wired or wireless network, a private network, a virtual private network, etc.). The communication unit 160 may use one or more wireless protocols, standards, or technologies for communication, such as Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy (BLE). Additionally or alternatively, the communication unit 160 may enable free-space optical or acoustic links. In some implementations, the communication unit 160 may include one or more ports for a wired communication connections. The wired connections used by the wireless communication module 160 may include electrical or optical connections (e.g., fiber-optic, twisted-pair, coaxial cable).

User input unit

170 may collect information from a person wearing the ring 101 or another user, capable of interacting with the ring 101. In some implementations; one or more of the sensors in the sensor unit 150 may act as user input devices within the user input unit 170. User input devices may transduce tactile, acoustic, video, gesture, or any other suitable user input into digital or analog electrical signal, and send these electrical signals to the controller 140.

The output unit 190 may include one or more devices to output information to a user of the ring 101. The one or more output devices may include acoustic devices (e.g., speaker, ultrasonic); haptic (thermal, electrical) devices; electronic displays for optical output, such as an organic light emitting device (OLED) display, a laser unit, a high-power light-emitting device (LED), etc.; or any other suitable types of devices. For example, the output unit 190 may include a projector that projects an image onto a suitable surface. In some implementations, the sensor unit 150, the user input unit 170, and the output unit 190 may cooperate to create a user interface with capabilities (e.g., a keyboard) of much larger computer systems, as described in more detail below.

The

components

120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 190 may be interconnected by a bus 195, which may be implemented using one or more circuit board traces, wires, or other electrical, optoelectronic, or optical connections. The bus 195 may be a collection of electrical power or communicative interconnections. The communicative interconnections may be configured to carry signals that conform to any one or more of a variety of protocols, such as 120, SPI, or other logic to enable cooperation of the various components.

II. Example Smart Ring Form Factor Types

FIG. 2 includes block diagrams of a number of different example form factor types or

configurations

205 a, 205 b, 205 c of a smart ring (e.g., the smart ring 101). When the smart ring uses electromagnetic induction charging using permanent magnets, a form factor and configuration of the smart ring may influence or, conversely, depend on the implementation of a charging circuit. In particular, the configuration of an induction coil may be tied to a form factor of the smart ring, as discussed below.

The

configurations

205 a, 205 b, 205 c (which may also be referred to as the

smart rings

205 a, 205 b, 205 c) may each represent an implementation of the smart ring 101, and each may include any one or more of the components 102 (or components similar to the components 102). In some embodiments, one or more of the components 102 may not be included in the

configurations

205 a, 205 b, 205 c. The

configurations

205 a, 205 b, 205 c include

housings

210 a, 210 b, 210 c, which may be similar to the housing 110 shown in FIG. 1 .

The configuration 205 a may be referred to as a band-only configuration comprising a housing 210 a. In the configuration 205 b, a band may include two or more removably connected parts, such as the

housing parts

210 b and 210 c. The two

housing parts

210 b and 210 c may each house at least some of the components 102, distributed between the

housing parks

210 b and 210 c in any suitable manner.

The configuration 205 c may be referred to as a band-and-platform configuration comprising (i) a housing component 210 d and (ii) a housing component 210 e (sometimes called the “platform 210 e”), which may be in a fixed or removable mechanical connection with the housing 210 d. The platform 210 e may function as a mount for a “jewel” or for any other suitable attachment. The housing component 210 d and the platform 210 e may each house at least one or more of the components 102 (or similar components).

In some instances, the term “smart ring” may refer to a partial ring that houses one or more components (e.g., components 102) that enable the smart ring functionality described herein. The

configurations

205 d and 205 e may be characterized as “partial” smart rings, and may be configured for attachment to a second ring. The second ring may be a conventional ring without smart functionality, or may be second smart ring, wherein some smart functionality of the first or second rings may be enhanced by the attachment.

The configuration 205 d, for example, may include a housing 210 f with a groove to enable clipping onto a conventional ring. The grooved clip-on housing 210 f may house the smart ring components described above. The configuration 205 e may clip onto a conventional ring using a substantially flat clip 210 g part of the housing and contain the smart ring components in a platform 210 h part of the housing.

The configuration 205 f, on the other hand, may be configured to be capable of being mounted onto a finger of a user without additional support (e.g., another ring). To that end, the housing 210 i of the configuration 205 f may be substantially of a partial annular shape subtending between 180 and 360 degrees of a full circumference. When implemented as a partial annular shape, the housing 210 i may be more adaptable to fingers of different sizes that a fully annular band (360 degrees), and may be elastic. A restorative force produced by a deformation of the housing 210 i may ensure a suitable physical contact with the finger. Additional suitable combinations of configurations (not illustrated) may combine at least some of the housing features discussed above.

The configuration 205 g may be configured to have two rings, a first ring 205 g 1 capable of and adapted to be mounted onto a finger of a user, and a second ring 205 g 2 capable of and adapted to be directly mounted onto the first ring 205 g 1, as depicted in FIG. 2 . Said another way, the first ring 205 g 1 and the second ring 205 g 2 are arranged in a concentric circle arrangement, such that the second ring 205 g 2 does not contact a user's finger when the smart ring 205 g is worn. Rather, only the first ring 205 g 1 contacts the user's finger. Additional suitable combinations of configurations (not illustrated) may combine at least some of the housing features discussed above.

FIG. 3 includes perspective views of

example configurations

305 a, 305 b, 305 c of a smart right (e.g., the smart ring 101) in which a number of surface elements are included. When the smart ring uses electromagnetic induction charging using permanent magnets, a form factor and configuration of the smart ring may influence or, conversely, depend on the implementation of a charging circuit. In particular, the configuration of an induction coil may be tied to a form factor of the smart ring, as discussed below. Additionally, some of the surface elements may be configured to indicate when a magnetic field at the smart ring rises above or falls below a threshold.

Configuration

305 a is an example band configuration 205 a of a smart ring (e.g., smart ring 101). Some of the surface elements of the housing may include

interfaces

312 a, 312 b that may be electrically connected to, for example, the charging unit 130 or the communications unit 160. On the outside of the configuration 305 a, the

interfaces

312 a, 312 b may be electrically or optically connected with a charger to transfer energy from the charger to a battery (e.g., the battery 120), or with another device to transfer data to or from the ring 305 a. The outer surface of the configuration 305 a may include a display 390 a, while the inner surface may include a biometric sensor 350 a.

The

configurations

305 b and 305 c are examples of configurations of a smart ring with multiple housing parts (e.g., configuration 205 b in FIG. 2 ). Two (or more) parts may be separate axially (configuration 305 b), azimuthally (configuration 305 c), or radially (nested rings, not shown). The parts may be connected mechanically, electrically, or optically via, for example, interfaces analogous to

interfaces

312 a, 312 b in configuration 305 a. Each part of a smart ring housing may have one or more surface elements, such as, for example,

sensors

350 b, 350 c or output elements 390 b, 390 c. The latter may be LEDs (e.g., output element 390 b) or haptic feedback devices (e.g., output element 390 c), among other suitable sensor or output devices. Additionally or alternatively, at least some of the surface elements (e.g., microphones, touch sensors) may belong to the user input unit 170.

Configuration

305 d may be an example of a band and platform configuration (e.g., configuration 205 c), while

configurations

305 e and 305 f may be examples of the

partial ring configurations

205 d and 205 e, respectively.

Output devices

390 d, 390 e, 390 f on the corresponding

configurations

305 d, 305 e, 305 f may be LCD display, OLED displays, e-ink displays, one or more LED pixels, speakers, or any other suitable output devices that may be a part of a suite of outputs represented by an output unit (e.g., output unit 190). Other surface elements, such as an interface component 312 c may be disposed within, at, or through the housing. It should be appreciated that a variety of suitable surface elements may be disposed at the illustrated

configurations

305 a, 305 b, 305 c at largely interchangeable locations. For example, the

output elements

390 d, 390 e, 390 f may be replaced with sensors (e.g., UV sensor, ambient light or noise sensors, etc.), user input devices (e.g., buttons, microphones, etc.), interfaces (e.g., including patch antennas or optoelectronic components communicatively connected to communications units), or other suitable surface elements.

III. Example Operating Environments for a Smart Ring

FIG. 4 illustrates an example environment 400 within which a smart ring 405 may be configured to operate. A portion of an electromagnetic induction charging system (e.g., one or more permanent magnets) may be disposed within the environment, as discussed below. In an embodiment, the smart ring 405 may be the smart ring 101. In some embodiments, the smart ring 405 may be any suitable smart ring capable of providing at least some of the functionality described herein. Depending on the embodiment, the smart ring 405 may be configured in a manner similar or equivalent to any of the

configurations

205 a, 205 b, 205 c or 305 a, 305 b, 305 c shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .

The smart ring 405 may interact (e.g., by sensing, sending data, receiving data, receiving energy) with a variety of devices, such as bracelet 420 or another suitable wearable device, a mobile device 422 (e.g., a smart phone, a tablet, etc.) that may be, for example, the user device 104, another ring 424 (e.g., another smart ring, a charger for the smart ring 405, etc.), a secure access panel 432, a golf club 434 (or another recreational accessory), a smart ring 436 worn by another user, or a steering wheel 438 (or another vehicle interface). Additionally or alternatively, the smart ring 405 may be communicatively connected to a network 440 (e.g., WiFi, 5G cellular), and by way of the network 440 (e.g., network 105 in FIG. 1 ) to a server 442 (e.g., server 107 in FIG. 1 ) or a personal computer 444 (e.g., mobile device 106). Additionally or alternatively, the ring 405 may be configured to sense or harvest energy from natural environment, such as the sun 450.

The ring 405 may exchange data with other devices by communicatively connecting to the other devices using, for example, the communication unit 160. The communicative connection to other device may be initiated by the ring 405 in response to user input via the user input unit 170, in response to detecting trigger conditions using the sensor unit 150, or may be initiated by the other devices. The communicative connection may be wireless, wired electrical connection, or optical. In some implementation, establishing a communicative link may include establishing a mechanical connection.

The ring 405 may connect to other devices (e.g., a device with the charger 103 built in) to charge the battery 120. The connection to other devices for charging may enable the ring 405 to be recharged without the need for removing the ring 405 from the finger. For example, the bracelet 420 may include an energy source that may transfer the energy from the energy source to the battery 120 of the ring 405 via the charging unit 430. To that end, an electrical (or optical) cable may extend from the bracelet 420 to an interface (e.g., interfaces 112 a, 112 b, 312 a, 312 b) disposed at the housing (e.g.,

housings

110, 210 a, 210 b, 210 c, 210 d, 210 e, 210 f, 210 g, 210 h, 210 i) of the ring 405. The mobile device 422, the ring 424, the golf club 434, the steering wheel 438 may also include energy source configured as chargers (e.g., the charger 103) for the ring 405. The chargers for may transfer energy to the ring 405 via a wired or wireless (e.g., inductive coupling) connection with the charging unit 130 of the ring 405.

In some implementations, the environment 400 may include elements to facilitate harvesting of energy produced by motion of a user wearing the ring 405 (e.g., an embodiment of the ring 101). For example, one or more permanent magnets may be disposed within the environment 400 (e.g., in the golf club 434, the steering wheel 438, or any other suitable location), configuring a magnetic field that the ring 405 may use for charging the battery 120.

The ring 405 may include (e.g., as a part of the charging unit 130) a charging circuit that, in turn, includes an induction coil. When user motion changes magnetic flux from the one or more permanent magnets through the induction coil, a current may be induced in the coil. The charging circuit may be configured to charge a power source (e.g., the battery 120) disposed within the ring 405 using the current induced in the coil.

IV. Example Diagram of an Electromagnetic Induction Charging System for a Smart Ring

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a charging system 500 for a smart ring 501 (e.g., smart ring 101, smart ring 405) that may operate, for example, within the environment 400. The structure of the charging system 500 provides a general framework for implementations discussed in reference to FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B.

Disposed within a housing 510 of the smart ring, may be a power source 520 (e.g., battery 120), a charging circuit 530 (e.g., included in the charging unit 130) that includes an induction coil 532 and rectification components 536, and a smart-ring component 540 (referred to as component 540). The component 540 may be a part or an entirety of the controller 140, the sensor unit 150, the user input unit 170, the communications unit 160 or the output unit 190. The power source 520 may be in electrical connection with the charging circuit 530 and with the component 540. The charging circuit 530 may be configured to charge (add energy to) the power source 520, while the component 540 may be configured draw energy from the power source 520. The component 540 may be further configured to perform at least one of: i) sense a physical phenomenon external to the housing 510, ii) send communication signals to a communication device external to the housing 510, or iii) implement a user interface, as discussed above. The system 500 also includes one or more permanent magnets disposed in a magnet module 550. The magnet module 550 may be any aspect of the environment (e.g., in the golf club 434, the steering wheel 438 of the environment 400, in a keyboard of a computer, etc.) where one or more permanent magnets may be disposed to set up a magnetic field at the location of the ring. In certain examples, a magnet module 550 may be a part of the ring, as described in more detail below, in reference to FIG. 7 . Changing a relative position of the coil 532 and the magnet module 550 may change magnetic flux from the one or more permanent magnets of the module 550 through the induction coil 532, generating electricity for charging the power source 520. Changing the relative position of the coil 532 and the magnet module 550 may be the result of motion of a user wearing the ring 501, for example.

The induction coil 532 may have 1, 3, 10, 30, 100, 300, 1000, 3000, 10000 or any other suitable number of turns of a conductive wire (or another suitable conductor, such as a trace). The conductive wire may have a diameter of 10 μm, 20 μm, 50 μm, 100 μm, 200 μm, 500 μm, 1 mm, 2 mm, or any other suitable diameter. The conductive wire may be at least in part made of copper, gold, or any other suitable conductive material and may include polymer coating to electrically isolate neighboring turns. The permanent magnets of the magnet module 550 may be rare earth magnets (e.g., neodymium, samarium-cobalt), alnico magnets, or ceramic magnets of suitable dimensions.

The rectifying components 536 included in the charging circuit 530 may be configured to convert the generally alternating current (AC) waveform generated in the coil 532 to a direct current (DC) output suitable for charging the power source 520. Smoothing the voltage excursions in the generated AC (e.g., by converting to DC) may increase the energy efficiency of charging. The rectifying components 536 may include discrete or integrated electronic components configured as filters, diode-bridge rectifiers, H-bridge rectifiers, buck converters, boost converters, buck-boost converters, or any other suitable circuits. In some implementations, the rectifying components 536 may include a commutator.

In a sense, the rectifying components 536 may be thought to include an rectifier configured to rectify or convert (e.g., in cooperation with a capacitor or another suitable component) AC to DC, thereby facilitating AC/DC conversion for current flowing between the coil 532 of the charging circuit and the remaining portion of the charging circuit. Depending on design considerations and various constraints, the rectifier may include a commutator or a solid-state rectifier. The commutator carries the advantage of rectifying the AC voltage across coil terminals without introducing a significant voltage drop and associated energy loss. The solid-state rectifier has fewer mechanical components than a commutator and may simplify the ring design, but may introduce a more significant voltage drop and energy loss than the commutator when rectifying.

V. Examples of the Induction Charging System for a Smart Ring

FIG. 6A illustrates an example charging system 600 (an embodiment of the charging system 500) for a smart ring 605 (e.g., that may be ring 101, ring 405, or ring 501) that includes an induction coil 606. Advantageously, the charging system 600 may harvest the energy from the motion of the ring worn by a user while typing. The charging system 600 includes

permanent magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c, disposed in a wrist rest 625 which is disposed near or attached to a keyboard 630.

The induction coil 606 may have 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 or any other suitable number of turns of a conductive wire. The conductive wire may have a diameter of 10 μm, 20 μm, 50 μm, 100 μm, 200 μm, 500 μm, 1 mm, 2 mm, or any other suitable diameter. The conductive wire may be at least in part made of copper, gold, or any other suitable conductive material and may include polymer coating to electrically isolate neighboring turns.

The

permanent magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c may be rare earth magnets (e.g., neodymium, samarium-cobalt), alnico magnets, ceramic magnets. Though FIG. 6A illustrates three

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c, the charging system 600 may use 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or any other suitable number of magnets. The

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c may have any suitable shapes, including, for example, cylinder, bar, block, or horseshoe. The

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c may have any suitable dimensions. For example, the

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c may be cylinders and have diameters of 2, 5, 10, 20 mm and heights of 2, 5, 10, 20 mm. The

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c may be oriented in any suitable direction so as to have the magnetic flux density (magnetic field) gradients substantially maximized in a vertical (z-direction), a lateral (x-direction), or any other suitable direction. Generally, the

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c may be disposed so as to substantially maximize magnetic flux variations through the coil 606 during expected movement patterns of the ring 605 worn by a user. At a working distance (e.g., 5 mm to 10 cm) from the

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c, the magnetic field may vary from 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 gauss (or another suitable strength) close to the magnets to less than one gauss away from the

magnets

620 a, 620 b, 620 c.

The induction coil 606 may have the turns wound substantially along the circumference of the ring 605, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, with the axis of the coil 606 aligning axially with respect to the ring 605. An axis of the coil here may be defined as the direction substantially orthogonal to a conductive path (e.g., wire or trace) of the coil. In another implementation, illustrated in FIG. 6B, one or

more coils

607 a, 607 b may be disposed along the ring 605 with the axes oriented substantially radially with respect to the ring 605. Furthermore, the

coils

607 a, 607 b may be implemented as wires or as conductive material (e.g., gold, copper, etc.) traces (e.g., rectangular spiral traces) of any suitable width (20, 50, 100, 200, 500 μm, etc.) on a substrate. In some implementations, the substrate may be flexible.

In general, coils 606 and 607 a, 607 b may electrically connect to a number of devices or components (e.g., rectifying components 536) to form a charging circuit (e.g., the charging circuit 530). The charging circuit may include one or more rectifiers (e.g., implemented with diodes) and filters (e.g., implemented with capacitors), as well as voltage regulators or DC/DC voltage converters. In implementations with multiple coils (e.g., coils 607 a, 607 b), each coil may be connected to a corresponding rectifier. The multiple coils may be connected in series or in parallel, depending on an implementation of the charging circuit.

Returning to FIG. 6A, user movement (e.g., typing on the keyboard) may change magnetic flux through the coil 606 by varying magnetic field strength in the vicinity of the ring 605, or varying the orientation of the coil 606 with respect to the direction of the magnetic field. The charging circuit may then charge the power source (e.g., the power source 520) using the electricity generated in the coil. In implementations with multiple coils (e.g., coils 607 a, 607 b), charging circuit may be configured to combine the electricity generated in each coil for charging the power source.

FIG. 7A illustrates an example implementation of the charging system 500 fully integrated into a self-charging smart ring 700. The self-charging smart ring 700 may allow a user to charge the smart ring 700 by spinning a band, for example. The user may thereby fidget with the smart ring 700 recreationally while simultaneously charging the ring 700. FIG. 7B illustrates a section 701 of the smart ring 700 and, in more detail (and with a different perspective), components disposed within and a mechanical configuration of the smart ring 700. The ring 700 includes a first band 702 and a second band 704 configured to rotate substantially coaxially with respect to the first band 702. The second band 704 may include

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d. In a sense, the second band 704 may be configured as the magnet module 550. The first band 702, on the other hand, may be configured as the housing 510. Thus, in a sense, the smart ring 700 may be thought of as an implementation of the charging system 500 of FIG. 5 , where the magnet module 550 is movably attached to the ring housing 510. The power source 520, a coil 735 (e.g., coil 532), rectifying components 536, the component 540 may be disposed in the first band 702.

In some implementations, the

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d may be distributed around the second band 704 at regular radial intervals with alternating dipole orientations in a substantially radial direction. That is, half of the

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d (or any even number of magnets) may be oriented with the north pole facing the radially inner surface of the second band 704 and the other half of the

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d may be oriented with the north pole facing the radially outer surface of the second band 704. Alternating magnet orientation around the circumference of the second band 704 may enhance the changes in magnetic flux through the coil 735 when the

bands

702, 704 rotate with respect to each other.

In some implementations, the first band 702 and the second band 704 may be radially disposed with respect to each other. An inner radius of at least a portion of the first band 702 may be larger than an outer radius of at least a portion of the second band 704, with the first band 702 and the second band 704 forming, respectively, an outer portion of the ring 700 and an inner portion of the ring 700. In certain examples, the first band 702 and the second band 704, may form, respectively, the inner and the outer portions of the ring 700. Still in other implementations, the first band 702 and the second band 704 may be substantially axially disposed with respect to each.

In some implementations, the ring 700 may be configured as a radial ball bearing. To that end, the first band 702 and the second band 704 are configured as races for the radial ball bearing, in mechanical contact with each other by way of a suitable number of balls (e.g., ball 710). The balls may be made of plastic, glass, ceramic, metal or metal alloy (e.g., steel) or any other suitable material. The

bands

702, 704 may include

grooves

712, 714 for confining the balls. The ring 700 may include a cage, a shield or other suitable radial ball bearing components. In some implementations, the ring 700 may be configured as a radial roller bearing, with the

bands

702, 702 configured as races for rollers.

In operation, a user may apply a force to rotate the second band 704 with respect to the first band 702 (or, conversely, the first band 702 with respect to the second 704), actuating a spin of the second band 704. The ring 700 may be configured to reduce frictional losses (e.g., using bearings as discussed above), so as to remain spinning for a certain duration (e.g., several seconds or tens of seconds) between manual actuations by the user. As the second band 704 spins with respect to the first band 702, magnetic flux through the coil 735 changes due to the motion of the

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d with respect to the coil 735, inducing an AC voltage across coil terminals. The rectifying components 536 may then convert the electricity into DC form suitable for charging the power source 520.

In some implementations, the rectifying components 536 may include a commutator. The commutator, for example, may mechanically reverse polarity of a connection between the coil 735 and the remaining portion of the charging circuit. The commutator may rectify the AC voltage across coil terminals without introducing a significant voltage drop and associated energy loss, as discussed above.

In other implementations, solid state rectification components may be used instead of the commutator to reduce the number of mechanical component and simplify the ring design, but may introduce a voltage drop and associated energy loss.

The second band 704 may be removably attached to the first band 702. That is, removably attaching the second band 704 to the first band 702 may be done for the purpose of charging the smart ring 700. Removably attaching here means that the user may attach or detach the second band 704 from the first band 702. The detached second band may be removed from the finger. Removably attaching the second band 704 may preserve the rotational freedom of the second band 704 with respect to the first band. To that end, the second band 704 may include bearing balls, for example. The first band 702 may be worn on the finger of the user without the second band 704 to enable some or all of the functionality (e.g., other than charging) of the smart ring 700. In some implementations the removable second band 704 may be configured as a radially outer ring, as described above. In other implementations, the removable second band may be disposed axially (e.g., along the finger of the user wearing the smart ring 700) proximal to the first band 702 in a side-by-side configuration. In the side-by-side configuration,

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d disposed in the second band may be configured to have magnetic dipoles aligned in the substantially axial direction. Correspondingly, the coil 735 in the first band 702 may be aligned to maximize magnetic flux and magnetic flux changes induced by the

magnets

750 a, 750 b, 750 c, 750 d. In any case, the removable second band 704 may allow reducing the bulk of the smart ring during the segments of operation when charging is not needed.

VI. Examples of Piezoelectric Charging of a Smart Ring

Another technique for harvesting motion energy and converting it into electrical energy for use by a power source of a smart ring may include the use of a piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric effect refers to the property of certain materials to generate voltage in response to mechanical stress that may produce microscopic deformations within the material. One advantage of using the piezoelectric effect is a relative ease of generating a substantial voltage (e.g., 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100V or another suitable voltage), which may facilitate rectification.

Example implementations of a smart ring configured for piezoelectric harvesting of mechanical energy for charging are discussed below with reference to FIG. 8 , FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9B. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a smart ring 801, analogous to the smart ring 501 described in reference to FIG. 5 . The smart ring 801 may represent any one or more of the

smart rings

205, 305, 405, 605, 700, or 900. The configuration of the ring 801 may have the housing 510, the power source 520, and the component 540 that is configured to draw energy from the power source 520, as described above. A charging circuit 830 may replace the charging circuit 530 in FIG. 5 . The charging circuit 830 may be configured to charge the power source 520 by way of electrical energy generated by a piezoelectric harvesting element 832, as discussed above. Referring to the FIG. 5 , the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may take the place of the induction coil 532. The charging circuit 830 may, like the charging circuit 530, include rectification components 836.

The rectification components 836, analogously to the rectification components 536 in FIG. 5 , may be configured to facilitate transforming the electrical energy generated by the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 into a form of electrical energy suitable for charging the power source 520. Though the rectification components 836 may include similar elements to the rectification components 536, e.g., diodes (e.g., in a bridge configuration), capacitors, etc., the rectification components 836 may be configured differently. More specifically, the rectification components 836 may be configured for the electrical characteristics of the piezoelectric harvesting element 832, that may have high output voltage and high output impedance. For example, the rectification components 836 may include a buck converter for stepping down the voltage output of the piezoelectric harvesting element and improving power transfer efficiency.

The piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may be disposed within the housing 510 of the smart ring 801 and configured for converting a mechanical energy input into electrical energy. The piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may be the only harvesting element in such a smart ring, or may be one of multiple harvesting elements. For example, the smart ring 801 may include the charging circuit 530 and the charging circuit 830 (which includes the piezoelectric harvesting element 832) in an embodiment.

The piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may include a deformable structure (e.g., a cantilever, a membrane, or another suitable structure) made at least in part from a piezoelectric material, the structure configured to deform under an application of an external force. The macroscopic deformation of the structure in response to the applied force may result in microscopic deformations within the piezoelectric material of the structure, and, subsequently, in voltage generation. A cumulative effect of multiple mechanical deformations, weather cyclical or aperiodic, of the piezoelectric material or structure may generate a voltage waveform that may be converted (e.g., by rectification) to drive charge accumulation in the power source 520.

After each mechanical deformation, the structure may substantially return to its original geometry, when the external force is no longer present, under the influence of the restorative force of the structure under deformation. In other implementations, the piezoelectric harvesting element may include an additional element (e.g., a spring) for providing a bias restorative force acting in opposition to the external force.

A variety of piezoelectric materials may be adapted for use within the piezoelectric harvesting element 832. The materials may be crystalline or amorphous and may include ceramics (e.g., lead zirconate titanate known as PZT, sodium potassium niobate, etc.), semiconductors (e.g., gallium nitride, zinc oxide, etc), and polymers (e.g., polyvyniladine chloride, polyvinyladine fluoride, etc.). The materials may be grown, deposited, or otherwise fabricated into thin or thick films or any other suitable form. The deformable structure (e.g., membrane, cantilever, etc.) of the piezoelectric harvesting element may include one or more piezoelectric materials.

The deformable structure of the piezoelectric harvesting may be implemented as a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), using associated fabrication techniques. In other implementations, the deformable structure may be assembled from discrete mechanical components. Still in other implementations, the deformable structure may be implemented using additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing. In certain examples, the deformable structure may be fabricated using a combination of suitable techniques.

In some implementations, the deformable structure of the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may be configured to vibrate or oscillate in response to a force impulse. A natural, e.g., resonant, frequency of oscillation of the structure may depend, for example on the geometry and the distribution of mass of the deformable structure. The oscillation of the deformable structure may induce a voltage oscillation at the corresponding frequency. The oscillation of the deformable structure may facilitate harvesting energy from periodic external forces, e.g., vibrations, particularly those with frequencies close to the natural or resonant frequency of the deformable structure. It may be advantageous to configure one or more deformable structures of the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 to have resonant frequencies close to expected frequencies of external forces or vibrations. The piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may be configured to have a resonant frequency in the range of vibration frequencies of a steering wheel or motorcycle handlebars, for example, to facilitate charging the smart ring 801 via piezoelectric energy harvesting while driving. Generally, configuring the deformable structure to have a resonant response to a vibration source may facilitate charging when the ring 801 is mechanically coupled to the vibration source. A configuration may include the frequency of the source within a 3 dB bandwidth of the resonant response of the deformable structure.

The piezoelectric harvesting element of the smart ring 801 may be configured to harvest energy from incidental movements of a user wearing the smart ring 801. For example, the piezoelectric harvesting element may be configured to harvest energy from arm swings or finger tapping. To that end, a movable mass may be disposed within the housing 510 of the smart ring 801. The movable mass may be mechanically coupled to the deformable structure of the piezoelectric harvesting element and exert a force on the deformable structure during acceleration associated with user movement and due to the inertia of the movable mass.

It may be noted that the deformable structure of the piezoelectric harvesting element may be configured with a degree of freedom in its movement aligned with any suitable direction with respect to the smart ring 801. For example, the movement direction of the deformable element may be substantially radial with respect to the ring-shaped housing 510. In certain examples, the degree of movement may be in a tangential direction, moving along the circumference of the smart ring 801. In certain examples, the degree of movement may be aligned with the axial direction, or substantially along the finger of the user. Furthermore, the directions of movement may be combined, a deformable element may be configured for two- or three-axis deformations, or multiple structures may be configured with different degrees of freedom, to take advantage of a variety of movements.

In some implementations, the piezoelectric harvesting element may be configured to harvest energy from user movements that apply a force directly to the smart ring housing 510, at least in part to charge the smart ring 801. For example, the smart ring housing 510 may include a movable component that can translate a force, applied by the user, to the piezoelectric harvesting element. One suitable configuration may be analogous to the configuration of the smart ring discussed with reference to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B. That is, in an example configuration, the smart ring 801 may include two bands configured to move with respect to each other to thereby generate mechanical energy for harvesting via the piezoelectric effect.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B illustrate a smart ring 900 that includes two

bands

902, 904 configured to rotate with respect to one another for the purpose of generating mechanical energy for piezoelectric harvesting. The smart ring 900 is analogous to the smart ring 700 in FIG. 7 , in a sense that both allow a user to charge the

smart rings

700, 900 by rotating one of the

movable bands

702, 704, 902, 904. The ring 900 may include a first band 902, in which the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may be disposed, and a second band 904. The first band 902 and the second band 904 may be configured, respectively, as an inner ring and an outer ring, where the outer ring is disposed substantially outside the inner ring in a radial direction relative to the inner ring. The smart ring 900 may be configured as a radial ball bearing, as discussed above for the smart ring 700.

The second band 904 may include one or more actuation members 950 a-d, disposed so as to cause a mechanical deformation within the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 that, in turn, generates electrical energy for harvesting. As the first and

second bands

902, 904 move with respect to one another, the repeated mechanical deformation contributes to charging the power source 520.

FIG. 9B illustrates how the actuation member 950 a causes the deformation in the piezoelectric harvesting element 832. The piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may include a cantilever 960 that may have a protrusion or a catch that comes into contact with a corresponding protrusion on the actuation member 950 a, as the actuation member 950 a moves by the harvesting element 832, the cantilever 960 deforms under the force applied by the actuation member 950 a.

The piezoelectric harvesting element may include one or more cantilevers (e.g., cantilever 960) disposed along the circumference of the first band 902. In some implementations, the one or more cantilevers may be oriented substantially in a tangential orientation with respect to the band 902. In other implementations, the one or more cantilevers may be oriented radially with respect to the band 902.

Though the illustrated mechanism relies on mechanical contact between the actuation member 950 a and the cantilever 960, the piezoelectric harvesting element 832 may rely on other modes of actuation (e.g., magnetic, electrostatic). For example, the actuation member 950 a may be a magnet, and the cantilever 960 may include paramagnetic or ferromagnetic material that is repelled or attracted by a passing magnet. Thus, as the user rotates the second band 904, the magnets may cause intermittent deformations in the cantilevers (e.g., cantilever 960) or other deformable structures of the piezoelectric harvesting element 832, causing the generation of electrical energy for charging the power source 520.

It should be noted, that, though electromagnetic induction and piezoelectric effect are described in detail herein, other energy harvesting technologies may be integrated into a smart ring. Additional or alternative harvesting modules may include triboelectric, thermoelectric, or photovoltaic charging, for example.

VII. Examples of Other Considerations

When implemented in software, any of the applications, services, and engines described herein may be stored in any tangible, non-transitory computer readable memory such as on a magnetic disk, a laser disk, solid state memory device, molecular memory storage device, or other storage medium, in a RAM or ROM of a computer or processor, etc. Although the example systems disclosed herein are disclosed as including, among other components, software or firmware executed on hardware, it should be noted that such systems are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of these hardware, software, and firmware components could be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, or in any combination of hardware and software. Accordingly, while the example systems described herein are described as being implemented in software executed on a processor of one or more computer devices, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the examples provided are not the only way to implement such systems.

The described functions may be implemented, in whole or in part, by the devices, circuits, or routines of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 . Each of the described methods may be embodied by a set of circuits that are permanently or semi-permanently configured (e.g., an ASIC or FPGA) to perform logical functions of the respective method or that are at least temporarily configured (e.g., one or more processors and a set instructions or routines, representing the logical functions, saved to a memory) to perform the logical functions of the respective method.

Throughout this specification, some of the following terms and phrases are used.

Communication Interface according to some embodiments: Some of the described devices or systems include a “communication interface” (sometimes referred to as a “network interface”). A communication interface enables the system to send information to other systems and to receive information from other systems, and may include circuitry for wired or wireless communication.

Each described communication interface or communications unit (e.g., communications unit 160) may enable the device of which it is a part to connect to components or to other computing systems or servers via any suitable network, such as a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). In particular, the communication unit 160 may include circuitry for wirelessly connecting the smart ring 101 to the user device 104 or the network 105 in accordance with protocols and standards for NFC (operating in the 13.56 MHz band), RFID (operating in frequency bands of 125-134 kHz, 13.56 MHz, or 856 MHz to 960 MHz), Bluetooth (operating in a band of 2.4 to 2.485 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct (operating in a band of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz), or any other suitable communications protocol or standard that enables wireless communication.

Communication Link according to some embodiments: A “communication link” or “link” is a pathway or medium connecting two or more nodes. A link between two end-nodes may include one or more sublinks coupled together via one or more intermediary nodes. A link may be a physical link or a logical link. A physical link is the interface or medium(s) over which information is transferred, and may be wired or wireless in nature. Examples of physicals links may include a cable with a conductor for transmission of electrical energy, a fiber optic connection for transmission of light, or a wireless electromagnetic signal that carries information via changes made to one or more properties of an electromagnetic wave(s).

A logical link between two or more nodes represents an abstraction of the underlying physical links or intermediary nodes connecting the two or more nodes. For example, two or more nodes may be logically coupled via a logical link. The logical link may be established via any combination of physical links and intermediary nodes (e.g., routers, switches, or other networking equipment).

A link is sometimes referred to as a “communication channel.” In a wireless communication system, the term “communication channel” (or just “channel”) generally refers to a particular frequency or frequency band. A carrier signal (or carrier wave) may be transmitted at the particular frequency or within the particular frequency band of the channel. In some instances, multiple signals may be transmitted over a single band; channel. For example, signals may sometimes be simultaneously transmitted over a single band/channel via different sub-bands or sub-channels. As another example, signals may sometimes be transmitted via the same band by allocating time slots over which respective transmitters and receivers use the band in question.

Memory and Computer-Readable Media according to some embodiments: Generally speaking, as used herein the phrase “memory” or “memory device” refers to a system or device (e.g., the memory unit 144) including computer-readable media (“CRM”). “CRM” refers to a medium or media accessible by the relevant computing system for placing, keeping, or retrieving information (e.g., data, computer-readable instructions, program modules, applications, routines, etc.). Note, “CRM” refers to media that is non-transitory in nature, and does not refer to disembodied transitory signals, such as radio waves.

The CRM may be implemented in any technology, device, or group of devices included in the relevant computing system or in communication with the relevant computing system. The CRM may include volatile or nonvolatile media, and removable or non-removable media. The CRM may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store information, and which can be accessed by the computing system. The CRM may be communicatively coupled to a system bus, enabling communication between the CRM and other systems or components coupled to the system bus. In some implementations the CRM may be coupled to the system bus via a memory interface (e.g., a memory controller). A memory interface is circuitry that manages the flow of data between the CRM and the system bus.

Network according to some embodiments: As used herein and unless otherwise specified, when used in the context of system(s) or device(s) that communicate information or data, the term “network” (e.g., the networks 105 and 440) refers to a collection of nodes (e.g., devices or systems capable of sending, receiving or forwarding information) and links which are connected to enable telecommunication between the nodes.

Each of the described networks may include dedicated routers responsible for directing traffic between nodes, and, in certain examples, dedicated devices responsible for configuring and managing the network. Some or all of the nodes may be also adapted to function as routers in order to direct traffic sent between other network devices. Network devices may be inter-connected in a wired or wireless manner, and network devices may have different routing and transfer capabilities. For example, dedicated routers may be capable of high volume transmissions while some nodes may be capable of sending and receiving relatively little traffic over the same period of time. Additionally, the connections between nodes on a network may have different throughput capabilities and different attenuation characteristics. A fiberoptic cable, for example, may be capable of providing a bandwidth several orders of magnitude higher than a wireless link because of the difference in the inherent physical limitations of the medium. If desired, each described network may include networks or sub-networks, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

Node according to some embodiments: Generally speaking, the term “node” refers to a connection point, redistribution point, or a communication endpoint. A node may be any device or system (e.g., a computer system) capable of sending, receiving or forwarding information. For example, end-devices or end-systems that originate or ultimately receive a message are nodes. Intermediary devices that receive and forward the message (e.g., between two end-devices) are also generally considered to be “nodes.”

Processor according to some embodiments: The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors (e.g., the one or more processors in the processor unit 142). Generally speaking, the terms “processor” and “microprocessor” are used interchangeably, each referring to a computer processor configured to fetch and execute instructions stored to memory. By executing these instructions, the processor(s) can carry out various operations or functions defined by the instructions. The processor(s) may be temporarily configured (e.g., by instructions or software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations or functions (e.g., a processor for an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, or ASIC), depending on the particular embodiment. A processor may be part of a chipset, which may also include, for example, a memory controller or an I/O controller. A chipset is a collection of electronic components in an integrated circuit that is typically configured to provide I/O and memory management functions as well as a plurality of general purpose or special purpose registers, timers, etc. Generally speaking, one or more of the described processors may be communicatively coupled to other components (such as memory devices and I/O devices) via a system bus.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors may be located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments the processors may be distributed across a number of locations.

Although specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that there are other embodiments that are equivalent to the described embodiments. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not to be limited by the specific illustrated embodiments.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A smart ring comprising:

a ring-shaped housing configured to be worn on a finger of a user;

a power source disposed within the ring-shaped housing; and

a charging circuit disposed within the ring-shaped housing and including a piezoelectric harvesting element, wherein

the piezoelectric harvesting element includes one or more micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) components; and

a device at least partially disposed within the ring-shaped housing and configured to draw energy from the power source.

2. The smart ring of claim 1, wherein the power source is a battery.

3. The smart ring of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric harvesting element includes a deformable structure.

4. The smart ring of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric harvesting element includes one or more cantilever structures.

5. The smart ring of claim 1, wherein:

the smart ring further includes

a first band and

a second band configured to rotate, substantially coaxially, with respect to the first band,

the piezoelectric harvesting element is disposed in the first band, and

one or more actuation members are disposed in the second band such that spinning the second band relative to the first band causes a mechanical deformation within the piezoelectric harvesting element.

6. The smart ring of claim 5, wherein:

the first band and the second band are configured, respectively, as an inner ring and an outer ring or an outer ring and an inner ring, where the outer ring is disposed substantially outside the inner ring in a radial direction relative to the inner ring, and

the outer ring is configured to spin when actuated by a user motion.

7. The smart ring of claim 5, wherein the first band includes a first race for a radial ball bearing and the second band includes a second race for the radial ball bearing.

8. The smart ring of claim 5, wherein the piezoelectric harvesting element includes one or more cantilever structures disposed around the circumference of the first band.

9. The smart ring of claim 5, wherein the one or more actuation members are permanent magnets.

10. The smart ring of claim 1, wherein:

the charging circuit further includes one or more rectifying components electrically connected to the power source, and

the one or more rectifying components are configured to facilitate transforming a generated electrical energy into a form of electrical energy suitable for charging the power source.

11. A method for operating a smart ring, the method comprising:

generating electrical energy at a charging circuit within a smart ring, wherein the charging circuit includes a piezoelectric harvesting element, wherein the piezoelectric harvesting element includes one or more micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) components;

charging a power source disposed within the smart ring by delivering the electrical energy from the charging circuit to the power source; and

causing the power source to provide power to a device disposed within the smart ring.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the power source is a battery.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the piezoelectric harvesting element includes a deformable structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the deformable structure is configured to have a resonant response to a vibration source.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating electrical energy at a charging circuit a smart ring comprises deforming the deformable structure by a movable mass disposed within the smart ring, the movable mass moving in response to movements of a user wearing the smart ring.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the smart ring further includes

a first band and

the piezoelectric harvesting element is disposed in the first band, and

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first band and the second band are configured, respectively, as an inner ring and an outer ring or an outer ring and an inner ring;

the outer ring is disposed substantially outside the inner ring in a radial direction; and

the outer ring is configured to spin when actuated by a user motion.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first band includes a first race for a radial ball bearing and the second band includes a second race for the radial ball bearing.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more actuation members are permanent magnets.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the second band is removably attached to the first band.